FAQ

How important is the John M. Asplund Water Pollution Control Facility to Alaska?

Nearly all our region’s wastewater treatment happens at our facility on Point Woronzof near the airport. This is Alaska’s largest wastewater treatment plant. Every day, the facility cleans and treats nearly 30 million gallons of wastewater from Anchorage and hauled-in from parts of the Mat-Su Valley and Kenai Peninsula. At the facility, incoming wastewater is cleaned and disinfected before it flows to Cook Inlet.
How are wastewater discharges to surface water controlled by NPDES?

The NPDES program, established by the Clean Water Act, allows discharges of cleaned and treated wastewater to surface waters only as specified within a permit issued by the EPA, or a state agency with authority delegated by EPA. The State of Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) has authority to implement the NPDES program for most wastewater discharges through the Alaska Pollution Discharge Elimination System program (APDES). AWWU holds permits for three wastewater facilities: Eagle River, Girdwood, and Asplund. The wastewater treatment facilities in Eagle River and Girdwood hold APDES permits administered by ADEC. Asplund remains under federal EPA authority, as its NPDES permit includes some unique requirements associated with Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act. Permits are valid for five years, or as administratively extended.

Permits for each point source of wastewater discharge dictate requirements for levels of treatment, treatment performance, effluent limitations, effluent and environmental monitoring to ensure compliance, and documentation. AWWU is required to file monthly Discharge Monitoring Reports for each of its facilities, in addition to an annual report on Asplund plant performance and the comprehensive monitoring of ambient receiving waters of Cook Inlet as required by the NPDES permit.
How does Section 301(h) under the Clean Water Act relate to AWWU’s NPDES permit?
When was the last time EPA renewed Asplund’s NPDES permit?

EPA last renewed Asplund’s NPDES permit in 2000 for a term of 5 years. The permit expired in 2005 but was administratively continued, so it remains legally in effect while EPA considers the renewal. AWWU continues to follow the continued permit’s treatment, monitoring, reporting, and pretreatment requirements.
Does the EPA’s delay in renewing the permit adversely impact Cook Inlet water quality?
What are the renewal criteria for the NPDES permit?
Renewal of Asplund’s NPDES permit requires demonstrating compliance with the following nine criteria from Section 301(h) of the Clean Water Act:

Have an effective environmental monitoring program.

Meet NPDES permit requirements.

Control toxics.

Meet State of Alaska water quality standards.

Improve water quality as it flows through the treatment system.

Maintain a comprehensive pretreatment program (the quality of the water coming into Asplund).

Enforce industrial pretreatment requirements.

Maintain a balanced native population of shellfish, fish, and wildlife.

Does not impact other permits from other facilities in Cook Inlet.
Would secondary treatment remove more toxics from the wastewater discharged to Cook Inlet?

Secondary treatment would provide additional treatment and could reduce the levels of some toxics. However, it would not remove all toxics, and some would remain at similar levels. Asplund is currently required to meet water quality standards and permit limits for toxics in its treated wastewater discharge to Cook Inlet.
What water quality toxics criteria does AWWU have to meet?

AWWU must meet all of Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s water quality toxics criteria, just like other Alaska wastewater treatment facilities. Asplund’s NPDES permit modifies TSS (suspended solids) and BOD (organic matter) levels only; all toxics requirements are the same as any other permit.
Is it true that Asplund’s NPDES 301(h) permit requires more monitoring than a typical permit with secondary treatment?

Yes. Asplund’s permit requires extensive monitoring to demonstrate that the discharge continues to meet water quality requirements and protect Cook Inlet. AWWU regularly samples treated wastewater for a broad range of parameters, including toxics, pesticides, and metals. Monitoring also extends beyond the discharge itself to evaluate conditions in Cook Inlet, including water quality, sediments, and marine life near the outfall.

AWWU has also conducted additional monitoring and scientific studies beyond what is required by permit requirements to better understand Cook Inlet water quality and its marine environment.
Is Asplund less protective of its discharge waters than a typical wastewater plant?

No. Maintaining compliance with Section 301(h)’s nine permit renewal criteria is just as protective of the receiving water than using secondary treatment. These criteria provide more focus on preventing toxics from entering the water, require specific studies to help understand how the discharge is affecting the environment, and enforce an extensive monitoring program to verify the wastewater discharge system is operating as designed.
What is a mixing zone, and why did the recommended area of mixing decrease with the current NPDES permit renewal?

The mixing zone is a designated area where treated water is discharged. The zone is defined by how much area is needed for the effluent to mix with the receiving waters to meet water quality standards. As part of the current permit renewal, AWWU used specialized computer modeling and water quality samples to determine the new mixing area. It was found that the treated water requires less mixing to meet water quality standards than what had been modeled prior, and thus AWWU can reduce the size of the mixing zone.
Does Asplund’s wastewater discharge represent significant risk to the decline of the Cook Inlet beluga whale?

No. The data-driven Biological Evaluation AWWU conducted shows that Asplund’s discharge poses no significant risk to Cook Inlet beluga whales. This is in part because Asplund’s effluent is discharged far away from the river mouths in Knik Arm where belugas forage and calve.
Was the Cook Inlet beluga whale listed as endangered after AWWU’s current permit was issued?

Yes. The Cook Inlet beluga whale was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act in 2008, after AWWU’s current permit was issued. Since then, the permit has remained in effect through an administrative extension while EPA reviews AWWU’s renewal application.

As part of the renewal process, AWWU has conducted additional scientific studies to evaluate whether treated wastewater from the Asplund Wastewater Treatment Facility could affect Cook Inlet beluga whales or their prey. The studies found little to no risk to beluga whales.
Are viruses found in Asplund’s discharge detrimental to marine life?
Could future population growth affect water quality in Cook Inlet?

Asplund has capacity to treat up to 58 million gallons of wastewater per day and currently treats approximately 30 million gallons per day. This provides substantial capacity to accommodate changes in wastewater flows over time.

AWWU is required to continue meeting the water quality and monitoring requirements of its NPDES permit regardless of changes in Anchorage’s population. If wastewater flows increase in the future, AWWU would need to plan for those changes while continuing to meet its permit requirements and protecting Cook Inlet water quality.
Will the permit renewal increase my sewer bill?